Mapping

The most effective ways of moulding collective concepts proceed from those presentations that are perceived as direct reproductions of reality. This type of perception most often arises in connection with maps since they appear to be a neutral reflection of actual areas. The European Union puts itself forward increasingly - particularly in the expansion process - as a geographically defined area; cartographic presentations before and after the expansion bring clearly to view the most impressive visualization strategies: The EU appears as a largely homogeneous space, the countries about to join are differently coloured and thus look like "something other" than the EU. The candidates for membership appear in colour, to some extent a spatial shifting of the "other". Those areas that do not belong to the EU nor count as candidates for membership appear by contrast as grey "no-man's-land".

The cartographic presentations thus generate effective concepts of inner homogeneity; they display a clearly drawn difference between belonging and not belonging to EU-Europe. Untouched by the debates on the canon of values and traditions that constitute Europe, the maps show EU-Europe as an unambiguous, clearly defined area.